


radio chatter

by Ozonee



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: ALMOST Character Death, Blood, Broken Bones, Canon-Typical Violence, Established Relationship, Gunshot Wounds, M/M, Recovery, Smoking, Violence, amazingly unbeta'd, i have no idea how to tag these fics still, so there will be so many mistakes :')
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-03-08
Packaged: 2018-09-28 17:16:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10141127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ozonee/pseuds/Ozonee
Summary: Anyone looking on would say he looked a bit cartoonish in the way he skidded across the pavement, bouncing and rolling until he finally came to a stop.Then, blinding pain.-The story of their I love you's.





	1. Chapter 1

It was sometime between three in the morning and four, and Jesse was never really one for midnight missions. He’d gotten used to it when he was a kid--a mere seventeen year old who should’ve been at home playing video games, but was instead putting bullets into people he’d never even met. The years grew thin on his ability to stay awake at night, hell, he could barely do it for a full day. He wanted coffee but Morrison told him no.

He strolled through the abandoned apartment building they had decided to make their base. Foreclosure and bankruptcy assured the empty rooms, neatly evacuated. Here and there he peeked into some apartments, hoping maybe he’d find a book or something to keep him occupied until they got word on when the mission actually started.

They were intercepting a pick-up truck with smuggled weapons in the back loader. Riveting stuff, really. Jesse thought it was a joke at first, but apparently the people buying the weapons were the same terrorists who were responsible for the death of Mondatta. It was a pretty important mission, more importantly because if they get one of them alive they can get information out of them. 

Back in Blackwatch days that meant a bucket and some pliers and some poor sob tied up to a chair, begging for his life.

He climbed the stairs, still having a couple hours to kill before they ride through this part of town. The earpiece that was loosely hanging around Jesse’s ear crackled to life. He pushed against it to hear properly.

“Man,” Lucio started, “You guys couldn’t have picked a better location to lay low. It’s probably the only place in the city without cell reception, which makes waiting soooo fun.”

Morrison clicked in before Jesse could, silencing his recommendation to take a nap, “Remind me again what part of the mission is supposed to be fun?” A hard ass as always. Jesse chuckled. Unlike some of the other agents, Lucio wasn’t scared or intimidated by Jack. He would’ve been a miracle if he’d been around for the golden Overwatch era. He goes on complaining about the reception to Jack, but Jesse tunes them out.

He climbs up to the highest level and makes his way down the hallway, looking for the way up to the roof where Angela and Fareeha were. Though, he pauses. He wanted a smoke, so he decided not to go in the direction where his two biggest critics were. Instead, he walked into the nearest apartment, hoping to crack open a window.

And was immediately flipped and thrown to the ground. He heard himself wheeze at the air being knocked out of his lungs as he slammed hard onto the floor. He reached down to hit the panic button on the receiver on his belt, but stopped when he saw a familiar green glow.

“Oh, Jesse!” Genji gasped, letting go of his collar immediately, “I am… I am sorry, you startled me.”

“I started you?” Jesse coughs, trying to gather air back into his smokey lungs, “Almost shot your damn head off.” He accepts Genji’s hand to help him stand up.

“You would not have gotten far.” Genji replies. Not wanting to continue the argument they’ve had a million times about who’s faster, Jesse plants a small peck on his boyfriend's metal visor’s cheek. He cracks his back and limps over to the window, having hit his hip wrong on the way to the floor.

“Lucky it wasn’t Hana, you’d snap the poor girl in half.”

There was guilt in Genji’s body language and voice, “I’m sorry. This mission is just…”

“Boring?”

“No, dangerous. I do not like hiding out in a large building like this. I’m not sure what Morrison was thinking.” Genji was more suited for laying low in small enclosed spaces, which is probably why he was holed up in the top floor apartment. 

“I think he wants us spread out in case we gotta split up. Angie upstairs with Fa--”

“Codenames.” Genji reminds.

“Mercy’s upstairs with Pharah,” Jesse corrects, quickly, “Lucio’s with D.va and Mei downstairs. Me, you, and Soldier are supposed to be on the fifth floor. Everyone’s kinda scattered so one well aimed bomb doesn’t kill half of the agents in Overwatch.”

“Just a few,” Genji chastises. “Perhaps I just don’t like the younger agents being in one group.”

“Mei ain’t young-- hell, she’s--”

A loud shot rings out and the window shatters. Jesse can’t process what’s happening fast enough, he just knows he’s on the ground for the second time that night with glass raining over his face and Genji’s got his sword out. There’s a bullet hole in the wall, and his sword is smoking.

Many voices are heard over the communicators at once, but more prominently was Jack’s shouting, “What the hell was that? Is anyone hurt?”

“A sniper,” Genji informs, his back to the wall, peeking his visor to look out the window, “Almost shot Jesse, I deflected it. They know we’re here.”

Jesse brushes the glass off his chest and picks up his hat that had fallen off in the panic. He stays low, crouching to look out another window near the kitchen. Downstairs he could see a truck with armed thugs sitting in the back, a blanket over the back of the cargo in the truck.

“They’re early,” Jesse whistles, “Maybe we’ll get outta here and be able to grab the early-bird special at iHop when it’s over.”

Surprisingly, he hears a chuckle from Genji. Usually his jokes don’t land if they’re in the middle of battle, but Jesse could tell; Genji was feeling a bit giddy, probably from reflecting such a quick shot. “Only if you pay.”

“Like I have that kinda money.”

They leave the apartment quickly, aiming to get downstairs to meet up with the other agents but stop when they hear Jack tell them they parked the truck outside and were coming in. Hana was in her Meka in the lobby with Lucio and Mei. They were the first ones to start fighting. Getting down to them was top priority, even if they were common thugs with their handguns versus Hana and her military grade Meka. And whatever the hell Mei did, Jesse will wasn’t sure how her stuff worked.

“McCree,” Jack’s back to barking orders, which grates on Jesse a little, “Head out the emergency fire escape and circle around to the truck. Try and take out the driver and any guards he has.”

“I will back him up,” Genji starts, but Jack cuts him off.

“No, you need to track down the sniper. We can’t let her pick us off when we least expect it. Jesse can take three thugs.” 

The confidence almost made up for the fact that Jesse hated taking orders from Jack and always has. He knew he was right and his plans were usually sound, but there was still lingering superiority in Jack’s voice that made Jesse want to punch him in the neck.

“Alright,” Jesse nods, “I’ll holler if I’m bleedin’ out.”

“Not funny.” Jack responds, then cuts out, probably heading into the fighting himself.

Jesse throws his hands up in mock offense, “Well, damn. I thought it was.”

“Jesse.” Genji is serious, it’s clear in his voice and tense shoulders. Jesse’s gotten used to his body language by now. “Be safe.”

“Well, I gotta,” Jesse says, pushing open the fire escape door, leading to the outside railing and stairway down, “I got an iHop date tomorrow.”

“Ass.” Genji says, leaving to do his job as well.

 

-

 

Fareeha met up with Jesse shortly after he hit the ground in the alleyway. She floated down, Angela nowhere to be seen behind her. She’d left to tend to a wound Jack had gotten pulling Lucio out of the way of machine gun fire. Jesse heard the gun rattling off in the lobby and shook his head, “Now where does a common thug get ahold of a M249?” He mumbled, but Fareeha picked up on it.

“That’s military. There’s no way these guys are military.”

“Then they stole them off the guys that are. Or bought them. Probably the second option.” Jesse grits his teeth and peeks around the corner. There was only two people by the truck now, the third running in for covering fire. He shakes his head and sighs, “I can handle this, you should help them.”

“I was supposed to knock the car off course with one of my rockets, not fire them off in a small lobby.” Fareeha shook her head, “I’m going to go help Genji with the sniper, if they move into an open area away from the truck, let me know.”

Jesse watches her take off, holding his hat so it’s not blown off by the jet stream. He takes out Peacekeeper and peeks his head around the corner. These guys weren’t professionals, and they probably were hired just because of that fact alone. They were probably selling the guns for a fifth of what they’re really worth because they don’t know better.

Jesse heads out, low, crouching into the street. He makes his way to the other side of the street, getting to the side of the truck the driver was on. The getaway driver’s attention was fully on the firefight in the lobby, so he didn’t see when Jesse’s prosthetic punched through the glass and grabbed his collar. He was thrown out of the car and shot, and Jesse didn’t blink when the other thug raised his gun at him, he just shot him, too, point blank.

“Aw, geez.” He mutters, seeing a hunk of, what could only be described as,  _ meat _ on his shoe. A chunk of one of the mens heads on his boot. He rubbed it off on the grass between the sidewalk and the truck, then circled around to the back of the vehicle.

Grabbing the tarp, he pulled it up and out of the truck, showing the cargo inside. He immediately touched his communicator on his ear.

“It ain’t guns, these the right people?”

“What?” Jack asked, incredulous, “What is it?”

“I dunno, some sorta... I ain’t a scientist, alright? It’s some sorta shiny thing. Mechanical. Like equipment for a lab.”

“I’ll send Mei out, just--”

“I’ve lost her!” Genji’s voice yelled through the comm’s, panicked, “Far--Pharah is down, she was shot in the side, under her ribs. I stopped to aid her, but I’ve lost the sniper. Stay away from the windows.”

More radio chatter happened, Angela asking where they were and to guide her to Pharah, leaving the main team with Lucio. Jack was ordering Mei not to go outside anymore since the sniper was on the loose. Jesse wasn’t sure how that made him feel, being out in the open like he was. He was about to make a comment such as that, but stopped.

His eyes glanced down the street. The sniper was there, hanging upside down with a rope around her ankle, hung from a far up walkway that linked two buildings together. Swearing loudly, he ducked so hard he almost smacked his head off the back of the truck. A loud shot whizzed past his head and clipped his hat.

“You think you’re a good shot, huh?” He grunted, pushing himself off the ground and onto his feet, keeping low. He felt a jolt of adrenaline and smirked. If anyone had seen him, they would think Jesse was enjoying this, and maybe he was.

He peeked three times, firing off rounds in the direction of the sniper. It wasn’t hard to land a hit since she was completely still. He hit the rope holding her up, but instead of flailing to make her landing hurt less, she took aim.

The bullet went into his flesh arm travelling on an angle up towards his elbow and exiting his upper forearm. He cried out, despite himself, gritting his teeth and dropping his gun to the pavement in front of him. He curled his arm into his chest and picked up his gun with his prosthetic. He used his shoulder to bump the communicator on.

“I’m hit. It ain’t too bad, but it’s my shootin’ arm.” He grimaced, glancing around the truck for half a second. He didn’t see her anymore, he didn’t even see evidence that she landed. Unless she can fly, Jesse had no idea where she was.

“Mercy is still with Pharah, are you bleeding bad?” Genji asks through his earpiece. He panting, almost as if he’s frantically running on the roofs of the nearby buildings, chasing something.

“Not too bad, just keep fighting. I’ll make my way somewhere safe.” Jesse assures, only imagining what’s going through Genji’s head at that moment. If it were him he would’ve abandoned the mission and gone to Genji, he wouldn’t have been able to stop himself. He knew Genji was having an internal struggle about it as well.

As soon as he stood, he saw her. She was running on top of the apartment complex, Genji hot on her tail. He was undoubtedly faster than her, but shocked him when she carelessly jumped off. The cyborg had hesitated, but jumped off after her. She was taking aim again, and before Jesse could even raise his gun, she shot.

But not at him.

The bullet hit one of the containers in the back of the truck. She extended her arm and a grappling hook shot out, connecting to the building across from the apartments. She launched herself up and disappeared. 

“There’s someone else here!” Hana shouted over the communications, “It’s an omnic!” 

Jesse was torn between glancing around to look for said omnic, and looking at the bullet hole in one of the machines in the back of the truck. Genji landed nearby, taking out an enemy near the front doors of the lobby. He turned his head to look at Jesse.

Jesse saw the sparks in the machine before he heard the crackle, and admittedly that was all he remembered if you asked him later. There was a blinding flash, intense heat, and suddenly he was under the impression he was flying. Anyone looking on would say he looked a bit cartoonish in the way he skidded across the pavement, bouncing and rolling until he finally came to a stop.

Then, blinding pain. He could see through his half-lidded eyes that the truck had blown up, but also that another identical machine had landed nearby. Genji was barreling towards him, shouting his name, panic real in his voice and informing everyone what was in the truck. Bombs. It was crackling like the other bomb had been, and Jesse couldn’t even get his arm to move up to cover his face when it went off.

Only, he heard it go off, and felt the wind hit him, but nothing happened. Windows shattered from the buildings around them, glass fell around them as if a horrible nightmare. There was a loud stomping sound and the sound of Reinhardt’s shield, and Jesse almost believed the old man had travelled from base to cross the continent just to get to India to help them.

But, then he saw the omnic.

“You are safe. You are in dire need of medical assistance, I will call for aid.” The omnic had four legs, it almost made Jesse laugh at how much it looked like a weird omnic horse. The omnic turned her head to look back at him and give him a smile. It looked like one of the emoji’s that Hana usually sent.

That was his last thought before it went black.

 

-

 

Three times Jesse McCree had woken up to the beeping of medical equipment in his lifetime. He prayed that number four would be the last. Though, this time, it wasn’t the beeping that woke him up, it was the muffled shouting. The Charlie-Brown adult speak in an angry tone and the tell tale signs of an argument.

As he focused, he could hear snippets. 

“...Two and a half weeks!”

“...It’s different… Me and Lucio are working with what we…I unders… upset… calm down…”

It wasn’t the best thing to wake up to, though ‘wake up’ might’ve been a generous term for it, considering he couldn’t open his eyes and was barely awake a second longer.

 

-

 

One more week passed before Jesse came to, again. He blinked himself awake, sluggish, feeling like he’d just slapped a mother bull’s ass in front of her son. He couldn’t move his legs, and he hoped to god that was just from the heavy medication, or his arm. It took him a moment to realize his prosthetic was off, and his flesh arm was in a cast.

He opened one eye, glancing down at the cast. He was met with an array of colours. He could see Hana’s bunny symbol drawn on with a hot pink sharpie. Words he couldn’t make out. A green frog from Lucio. More words.

He focused on breathing and turned his head. The television in the med bay was on, not for him. There would be no point to turn it on for the slightly comatose man. He wondered who it was for. Again, he turned his head, then saw Genji.

He was either asleep or thinking in the chair next to the bed. Could’ve been either of the two. The gentle rise and fall of his chest told Jesse it was the first option. He cleared his throat, shocked at how hard it was to speak. Almost like he hadn’t in years.

“H...Hey. Genji.” He whispered, not able to muster anything more.

Genji stirred, his lights flickering on.

Jesse grew a smirk, “You, uh…” He coughs, “You think the early bird special is still on?”

The lights in his armor flashed bright for a brief moment. Jesse knew Genji could control that, so he takes pride in the fact that he startled him.

“J…” His breath hitched, “Jesse!” But, instead of coming in for a hug, maybe a kiss, like Jesse wanted, he stood so fast from his chair he knocked it back onto the ground. He rushed out of the room to the room next door, leaving Jesse alone for a moment before coming back with Angela.

The immense look of relief in her eyes told him it was more than just a case of a few broken bones.

When he was conscious enough, she told him the extent of his injuries. Internal bleeding, his stomach had torn open thanks to a particularly sharp piece of rubble he landed on. Broken arm, the same arm he’d been shot in. Dislocated knee. Concussion. His prosthetic had been ripped off in the blast, so the stump of his arm had to be stitched up once again.

Jesse nodded as she went on, his eyes drifting from limb to limb as she described his many issues. Genji stood nearby, worried, and Jesse imagined that that had been kind of the norm for the past couple weeks.

“A month.” Angela corrects him when he asks how the past two weeks have been. “It’s… been a month.”

“A month.” Jesse repeated. The entirety of March just, poof, gone. It was odd to think about. “Well…” He had no witty remark, “Shit.”

On the topic of his injuries, Angela informs him that he’d be required to take physical therapy when he was able to move again. He hadn’t used his legs in so long, plus his head injury, he’d need to build up the strength to walk again. Most of his gashes and wounds had healed up thanks to the microbiology tech Angela had, but his bones needed time to mend themselves. 

And, until then, he got a sick wheelchair.

Angela leaves after doing some routine tests and telling Jesse that Fareeha was fine and had recovered in just a week, there’s a small bit of Jesse that’s jealous. She only heads off just so she can tell everyone on base to stop worrying, and that he’s okay. 

Genji stays. Genji had always stayed.

He seems far more relaxed knowing Jesse’s feeling well enough to make half-assed jokes. Though, both knowing Jesse, he could be laying on the pavement with his body laying in two halves and make a joke about it.

“My brother visited,” Genji states, that night when they’re holding hands (Genji’s hand holding Jesse’s fingers, as much as he can through the cast) watching television. “He said you looked bad enough that you were going to die. I almost believed him.”

Jesse glances down at his cast. He can make out the words now. Many versions of ‘get well soon!’ written all over. Little messages of hope.

“No offense,” He drawls, medication seeping into his bloodstream, “I don’t think your brother has the right judgement to call what’s dead and what’s not.”

There’s a beat, then Genji starts laughing. He turns and clicks his visor off, setting it on the bed. “You have me there, I’m sure he’d be thrilled to have you say that in person.” He leans up and kisses Jesse gently, probably for the hundredth time that day.

“Ooh, Genji. You sure do want me dead, huh?”


	2. Chapter 2

Once Jesse got his prosthetic arm back, the base was his oyster. More accurately, the cafeteria to his room was his oyster, but that was just if Angela caught him up and not in bed, like he should’ve been. 

His stomach healed first, all with the aid of small surgeries and the nanobiology Angela provided. After a week of that, he was able to eat solid foods again, and no more of the glorified protein shakes she gifted upon him three times a day. Though he was able to wheel himself down to the cafeteria, he couldn’t escape the sympathetic looks he got from the rest of the agents. Lena almost offered to deliver his meals to his room, but Jesse wasn’t having it. If he didn’t get out of his room to eat, he wouldn’t be allowed out at all unless it was just for a short fresh air break.

It wasn’t Angela doing most of the enforcing; it was Genji.

Having been almost killed himself, of course about a hundred times worse than Jesse, his mother henning was getting a little out of control. He was either pushing Jesse around so he wouldn’t have to use his still healing arms to push his wheels or forcing Jesse to go back to his room. And, being on wheels, Jesse really had no say in the matter.

For now, he was in the cafeteria. Genji sat beside him, mumbling quietly about the pain medication Jesse has to take with his food.

“I’ll get to it, hun.” Jesse assures and picks up his fork of macaroni and cheese, “I’ll wash it down after.”

“I’ll make sure of that.”

“ _ Genji… _ ” He trailed off when the door opened, and Hanzo walked through. He was in a training tank top and sweats, looking as annoyed as ever to see the both of them.

As far as Jesse knew, they had no opinion on one another. He couldn’t imagine that Hanzo cared much about who his brother was dating, and he was just as rude to Jesse as he was to anyone else. Well, maybe a little moreso.

“You aren’t walking yet?” Hanzo says, walking to the fridge and grabbing a water bottle out of it, “Angela is babying you. If you’re not walking at this point, you will never walk.”

Genji inhaled to reply, but Jesse beat him to it, “Oh, I can walk. I’ve been tap-dancing ever since you came in, I’m surprised you ain’t noticed.”

“Brother,” Genji cuts in before Hanzo can retort, “She’s doing the best she can, Jesse is healing just as fast as anyone can. The fact he’s able to push himself in his wheelchair just a week after he’s woken up is impressive in itself.”

“Surely,” Hanzo says, deadpan. He doesn’t look at Jesse, “Hana told me to ask you if you wanted to come to the training range when you’re done…” The word ‘babysitting’ hung in the air and Jesse’s grip on his fork tightened, “Whatever it is you’re doing here.”

“Maybe, I’ll let her know over comm’s.” Genji replies curtly. Hanzo shrugs and leaves the room, closing the door after him.

“You’d think finding out that your brother is alive and well, he’d be a bit chipper.” Jesse grumbles, eating another bite of his food.

“It’s only been three months. He needs time. He is not a bad man--” Jesse snorts and Genji quickly continues, “--He’s just very confused.”

“Waddaya mean?” Jesse asks, gesturing at the door in disbelief.

“I mean... “ Genji takes a few moments to collect his thoughts, “He doesn’t know how to act around you. He’s been short but generally kinder to the others. He killed me when I was...um.” Genji’s past was nowhere near a secret to Jesse, they spent many nights talking about it. “A playboy. He doesn’t want to interfere with my relationship because he fears of chasing me away, as if he were the same old Hanzo, chastising me for having fun. But, yet.” He laughs softly, “He wants to be a good older brother and ask me all about you.”

“Yeah, he got that protective look about’m,” Jesse says with a mouthful of macaroni, “So, how do you think I can get on his good side?” After Jesse asks, there’s an ongoing silence that goes on for about a minute. He nudges the cyborg, “Well?”

“Truth be told, you two have the most opposite personalities I can think of. It may be impossible.” Genji says, carefully. Jesse picks up on the caution, he picks up on the fact Genji thinks that he’s too snappy and sarcastic to be friends with his brother. Like poking a bear with a stick with a cowboy hat on it.

“Damn shame.” Jesse replies, his tone not damning the shame whatsoever.

 

-

 

“Slowly.” Angela’s voice is gentle, patient. She’s the type of person that sounds like she’d wait all day just to hear you mumble out one sentence. She’s practiced the art of comforting, but there was nothing comforting about Jesse’s position.

His arms shook trying to hold himself onto the two parallel bars beside his wheelchair. His arms were healed, more or less, and it was time to build the muscle back up in his legs. He could only do so much leg training in bed, he wanted up.

His arms protested, yelling, ‘hey, this is a bad idea.’ but Jesse pushed through it. He lifted himself up, surprising himself at the muscle he thought he’d lost in the long days of vigilantism.

He lets out a wheeze when his arms tell him to fuck off then, falling back into his chair. Genji was there to make sure he didn’t land too roughly, and Angela was beaming.

“Very good, Jesse. That’s a huge step.” There was no condescending in her tone, and Jesse almost wished there was, just to give him the anger-energy to try again. He was exhausted, mostly due to the medication, but he also hadn’t been up in almost two months.

“Yeah,” Jesse panted, his face anything but happy, “Feel like I can run a marathon.”

“Oh, hush. Most patients would still be in bed.” She shakes her head, writing down the results onto her little clipboard. Jesse wondered what else she wrote down on it. 

Genji puts his hand on Jesse’s shoulder, “In my new body, I couldn’t walk for four months.”

“Bit different.” Jesse says, curt.

Angela and Genji share a worried glance and the doctor strolls across the room, looking down at her clipboard once more, “We can try again in a couple days--”

“Couple days? Naw,” Jesse shakes his head, fully able to move his wheelchair. The cowboy wheels backwards, towards the door, “Tomorrow, bright and early. Then again in the noon.”

“Jesse--”

“See ya then.”

Genji follows after him, almost skipping to catch up with him at the pace Jesse was going. He debates on talking until they reach their room, where he rubs at his visor and then his neck. “You shouldn’t strain yourself, Jesse. Your arms have only just healed.” With the door closed, Genji presses the release on his helmet. He puts his front visor piece on the bedside table.

Genji has the utmost patience, which is why it was easy when Jesse didn’t reply. He wheeled himself to the bathroom and when Genji turned to help him inside, Jesse pointed, “Don’t you dare.” There was barely any seriousness behind it, but it startled Genji nonetheless. Jesse shook his head, “I don’t need help peeing, just wait there.”

Genji did. He walks to the door and pretends to be messing around in his own dresser, the dresser Jesse gave him once Genji started spending more and more nights in his room. He could only shuffle through his clothes so much. He sighs and runs his hand over his scarred face.

“There is no shame in asking for help.” He says, through the door.

“Oh, yeah there is. Tons of shame.” Came the muffled reply.

“Jesse--”

“Genji, I ain’t gonna ask you to come in here and hold me up while I take a piss, alright?” This time it was a snap, and Genji didn’t blame him. There was always anger when you were temporarily disabled, he knew all too well how that was. Genji steps away from the door and goes to the opposite side of the room, deciding to tidy up until Jesse was done.

It was about five minutes until Jesse rolled himself out, a little proud but a whole lot more frustrated. He clicked on the television on the opposite side of the room, getting ready to push himself out of his chair and into a more comfortable lounge chair he bought himself from a local village.

Once he was settled down, he noticed Genji hadn’t moved in about a minute or so. His back was to Jesse, looking down at something. Eventually, he leaned down and plucked something out of the garbage can.

“Is this your medication?” Genji asks, tone  _ knowing _ that it is. It was a small empty water bottle that Jesse had pushed to the bottom of the can, inside was about four or five pills. There would’ve been more if Genji hadn’t taken out the trash a week ago. “Jesse.” He snaps when he doesn’t reply. Jesse’s currently sinking into his chair, like a toddler who just got accused of writing a curse word on the wall. He made himself look very small.

“Don’t like being medicated.” He mumbled, Genji almost cutting him off.

“Are you insane? I know you are not a stupid man, I have seen it for myself. You have been dealing with your wounds this entire time?”

“Not the entire time, just…” It’s so quiet a pin could drop, “Just whenever you weren’t looking.”

Genji opens his mouth in shock and anger, getting ready to reply, but has to stop himself. He can hear Zenyatta in his head, going on about patience and understanding. He clutches the bottle in his hand so tight, it crinkles, but only for a moment. He breathes deep and wishes he’d kept his visor on, just so he could hide his emotions better.

“You have been lying to me and Angela.”

“I know, I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry. I just hate feeling like a fucking vegetable in that stupid godamn bed, and--”

“You’re  _ recovering! _ ” Genji yells, shocked at his own loud tone. “You aren’t taking these for fun, it is for the pain!”

“I know, Genji, I know. I wasn’t thinking.”

“Obviously!” Genji throws his hands into the air in disbelief. He throws the bottle into the trash, the medication be damned. Despite Jesse readily admitting he wasn’t taking them, there’s still an underlying feeling of failure on Genji’s part. He should’ve known Jesse was in pain. No wonder he was able to act so chipper and push himself around, he wasn’t taking his morphine pills. “I’m telling Angela tomorrow. If we have to supervise every time you eat from now on, we will, I promise you that.”

Jesse looks like he wants to reply, but doesn’t when he sees the  _ look _ on Genji’s face. The look that said  _ don’t, not unless you want a better reason to take these painkillers. _

Angela was going to be pissed.

 

-

 

It went better than Jesse thought. Of course, at first she was floored and looked at Jesse as if he just sprouted a second head, but over time she understood. She had to, she had to expect every outcome as a doctor. This isn’t the first time someone’s refused medication, just maybe the first she’s seen stuff it in a water bottle and hide it in a trashcan.

After the scolding, Jesse wheeled himself out with a fresh new medication bottle in the bag attached to his chair. He wasn’t allowed to take physical therapy, but Jesse sort of expected that.

Instead, he wheels himself outside to where the rest of the agents were. He didn’t get the memo about the new recruit, but he was just as surprised as everyone else when a four legged omnic stepped out of the aircraft, followed by a small dark skinned girl. She couldn’t have been older than thirteen.

“We hirin’ kids now?” Jesse asks, loud enough for Winston to hear him nearby.

“She’s not staying, Jesse. She’s donating the omnic she created for the missions coming up. She’ll be gone by the weekend.” Winston sounded prepared to handle that question, since Jack had the same look on his face that Jesse did when he saw the child.

The girl, he thinks he heard her name was Efi, leaned up and gave Lena a hug. She was going on about how she read so much about her and how cool she was, asking to see her blink and recall so she could see the tech in action. Lena tells her she can show her all that in a little while and offers to show them to their room. They start up the ramp, moving past Jesse and the other two men.

The omnic stops, looking down at Jesse. She gives a look, again, like the emoji’s Hana sends. She looks happy to see him safe, and it’s not until then that Jesse realizes it’s the omnic that saved his life.

“Oh, uh, thank you. Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Orisa!” Efi pipes up, lugging her duffle bag up the ramp after them. Jack walks up and takes it off her, surprising himself with how heavy it is. “We were staying at a nearby hotel, but once Orisa heard all the gunfire, I couldn’t stop her from going to help!” She looks proud, “Good thing she did, huh?”

“Yeah, course.” Jesse nods, a little blown away by the child’s happy ramblings. He was never the best at talking to children, no matter how easy Gabe claimed it to be.

“I am happy to have helped you.” Orisa chimes in, looking at Jesse with wide circle lensed eyes. Jesse tips his hat, though it isn’t currently on his head, and they continue into the watchpoint.

Jesse finds a secluded spot near the cliffs and pulls out a cigar, aiming to relax and maybe even take a nap in the sun.

 

-

 

A few days passed.

Jesse was back on his medication, a lower dose so he wouldn’t feel as sleepy all the time. Though Genji was there to watch him take the pills, they didn’t talk much. Genji had been disappearing to have long meditation sessions with his master, Zenyatta. He’d offered many times for Jesse to join him, but Jesse always answered with a hard and sure no.

After the third day of almost complete silence, he wheeled himself out of his room, deciding to look for Genji. He couldn’t put up with waiting anymore. Wondering if Genji would even come sleep with him that night, or ask him how his day was, or ask him anything really. He’d come to realize that he’s taking Genji’s patience for granted, and it was obvious that their fight had worn it quite thin. Probably the reason for his long absences to be with his teacher.

Jesse got as far as the stairs leading up to the third level. He knew Genji and Zenyatta liked meditating on the rooftops of the various buildings and since Zenyatta couldn’t climb like Genji, he knew they would be on the third floor, where the hallway opens up to a small eating area with a picnic table, facing the sea. Not many people went there since it was so far from the cafeteria, so it was always quiet.

The stairs, though…

He wondered if he could just leave his chair behind and slowly climb his way up, lifting his ass up one stair at a time. That idea was quickly shot down when he pictured Genji’s face seeing him out of his wheelchair and clambering towards them like some sort of zombie.

He heard Orisa before he saw her, with her size it was hard to miss her. She looked a bit shocked to see Jesse, then looked at the stairs.

“Are you in need of assistance?” She asked, already coming forward before Jesse even had the chance to reply.

“Naw, naw. I got it. I was just thinking of… I dunno. Willing myself to fly up the stairs.” He joked. It was met with a blind, unknowing stare. He could see her eyeing up his wheelchair, looking for jets or anything else that could propel him upwards. “Was, uh, was a joke. I’ll be fine--hey, what?”

Orisa knew a face in need when she saw one, and it was plastered all over Jesse’s face. She gently reached under his legs, being extremely careful, and his back. She lifted him slowly and started up the stairs, almost too wide to fit herself. She took him to the top and lowered him on a nearby bench, then left to go back for his chair.

Jesse watched her carry it up and place it down in front of him, then leant down to try and pick Jesse up again.

“Hey, nah, I got it!” He said, quickly climbing into the chair from the bench. She looked down at him and smiled the only way she really could, with her eyes.

“Do you need any further assistance?”

“No, I… I guess I owe you another one, huh?” He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Owe me another what?” She tilted her head.

“Nothin’, just. You know. Thank you.”

With that, she turned away and continued back down the stairs, having fulfilled her duty. He waited until her footsteps died away as she further explored the watchpoint.

Letting out a breath, Jesse continued on, wheeling himself quietly down the halls until he turned a corner. He hesitated going outside, he didn’t want to interrupt them. He sat and waited, wondering what he was going to say. Rubbing his beard, he sat back in his chair and decided, fuck it, he would just say whatever came to mind. It’s what he did usually, anyway. Before he could get outside, he’d touched the door panel to open it to the veranda, and was met with another familiar omnic.

“Greetings,” Zenyatta said, not startled to have almost run into the cowboy. “Genji is sitting at the end of the balcony, will you be joining him for meditation?” It was the most Jesse’s ever heard the monk say, at least to him.

“Oh, nah. I just… have some things to say.”

Zenyatta took a moment, but continued in a happy tone, “He will be delighted.” He graciously floated past Jesse, down the hallway, “Please feel free to join us at any time.”

“Of course, thank you.” Jesse wasn’t sure why he was being so polite to the omnic, he just couldn’t bring himself to think of any snappy remark. He wheels himself outside, the soft sea breeze hitting him like a sigh. 

“He worries,” Zenyatta’s voice drifts from the stairway, “Please allow him to.” Then disappears down.

Jesse pauses, then chuckles to himself. He wonders how much Genji talks to Zenyatta, or, more importantly, about  _ him. _ He continues on, wheeling down past some lounge chairs that Lena had spread out for anyone to use. Wanted to make the watchpoint seem more homely, apparently.

Genji is sitting on the balcony railing, his legs dangling off as he faced the sea. He turns his head and his shoulders jump when he sees the tired man rolling up next to him.

“How did you manage the stairs?” He asks after a long pause.

“Let’s just say that Orisa needs to learn to ask permission before picking people up.” He reaches into his pocket and almost grabs a cigar. His hand lingers, really, really wanting it, but decides it’s not the right time, though Genji is laughing.

“I wish I could have seen that.”

“Well I’m gonna have to get back down somehow.” They both laugh, looking out to sea and examining a cargo tanker passing by. The silence that follows is comfortable, but not what Jesse needed at the moment. It takes him a while to work up the nerve to say something.

“Look, I, uh…” He remembers what Zenyatta said.  _ He worries _ . “Thanks for not… kicking my ass too bad about the medication.”

“Angela would have been mad if I did.” Genji is smirking behind his mask, Jesse can hear it in his voice, “I understand. You did not need to come here to apologize.”

“I wanted to. Pretty shitty lyin’ to your boyfriend, turns out.” Jesse leans heavily on one arm, using the other to rub at his eyes. “Are we okay?”

Genji is quiet and with every second that ticks by, Jesse’s stomach twists into an even bigger knot. He shakes his head, chuckling, “Was that in question?” He turns to look at Jesse after watching a seagull dive for its meal. “I would not have abandoned you just because of a few tossed pills. I was just… focused. Making sure you were okay.”

It made sense. Genji was usually serious, focused, when on a mission. Jesse didn’t realize he had taken babysitting him so seriously. He thought back to all the times Genji watched him closely when he got in and out of bed, how he stayed near when Jesse winced from moving himself wrong. It pulled a little at the gunslingers heart-strings, like a finely tuned harp.

“That’s why I love ya.” Jesse blushed, despite himself.

Watching the seagulls dive for food helped the minutes pass by in their comfortable silence. Jesse wondered how he could ever repay Genji for being so patient with him. Maybe he would offer to sit in on a meditation session after all, he knows he would love that.

Slowly, the vents in Genji’s armor opened, steam pouring out. Jesse was about to ask, but Genji spoke first, “What did you say?” His hand was covering the green stripe on his visor, over his eyes.

“Huh?”

“You love me?”

“When did I say that? I said I liked ya.”

“No--”

“Yeah, I said-- I’m sure I did.”

“You said you loved me.” Genji says, almost accusingly. There’s a certainty in his voice that Jesse can’t argue against. He sits, looking like a fish out of water, opening and closing his mouth, not sure what else to say or if he should defend himself.

“Well, what if I do?” He says, finally.

Genji can’t speak for another half a minute before he stutters out, “I suppose I’d have to admit to feeling the same.”

“Then…” Jesse dives into his own brain for words to say, as if rummaging through a dirty room for one sock. “That’s that, then.” Is what he comes up with.

They sit for ten more minutes, until the sun is starting to set so low that the lighting was less romantic and more hard to see in. Genji manages to calm himself down enough to breathe out, “We should go inside.” He pushes himself to stand on the railing, balancing effortlessly, before hopping down to the balcony. He circles Jesse and holds onto the wheelchair’s handles, turning him in the direction of the doorway. “I suppose I should call for Orisa to help you down.”

“Oh, please don’t.”


End file.
